1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to sky diving parachutes and more particularly has reference to a parachute harness which provides relatively free movement for the jumper, both before and during the jump.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the major drawbacks to sky diving is the restriction placed on a jumper's movements by the parachute harness itself. Once the jumper puts on the harness, his body movements are severely limited in degree and range. The result is that what were once simple movements now become long, drawn out and strenuous activities because of the restricting nature of most parachute harnesses. In fact, such restricting harnesses tax the endurance of the jumper even before he has made his jump.
In a sport such as sky diving, safety of the jumper during the jump is of tantamount importance. From a physical standpoint, a diver who is fatigued before the dive is more likely to make errors in preparing for the dive because of the distraction that a taxing harness presents. More importantly, from a mental standpoint, fatigue arising from challenging physical tasks undertaken in pre-jump activity can dull the jumper's alertness during the dive and make him or her more prone to mistakes.
Parachute harnesses employed in skydiving activity serve first to mount a container for storing the folded canopy and second to, when the canopy is deployed, suspend the jumper. Such harnesses are typically constructed of webbing material joined together by stitching. For instance, a harness may incorporate laterally spaced apart shoulder and leg straps joined together and connected with the lower portion of a parachute container by means of laterally projecting webbing tabs. The juncture point is thus typically constructed of a plurality of sandwiched together layers of webbing which, when stitched, cause the harness components to present considerable resistance to the wearer's body movements. Thus, such simple movements and raising of the jumper's leg to step up into the passenger compartment of an airplane may be resisted by the relative inflexibility of the leg strap relative to the parachute container and/or chest strap.
With the current popularity of skydiving as a recreational sport, the transport of multiple jumpers in a single airplane from an air field to a jumping altitude has become a fairly common recreational endeavor. There is a certain economic motivation to provide for relatively rapid loading and take off of the airplane so as to minimize the time the aircraft is in use for each jump. In this regard, there is great benefit to expeditious loading of the aircraft and seating of the jumpers for take off. This process may involve a group of 15 or more jumpers approaching the aircraft and entering through a side entry door or opening. In the process, the jumpers are required to follow a certain procedure which may involve stepping up into the aircraft and moving to a bench or seat area to be seated, sometimes in close proximity to one another. Thus, freedom of movement is important.
Moreover, repeated jumps in close sequence results in repeated abrupt application of forces through the harness to the jumper's body thus requiring a harness construction which will apply those suspension forces to the jumper's body without undue discomfort.
In the past, parachute harnesses utilized in skydiving have typically exhibited a resistance tending to hinder movement of the jumper both during his or her ground activity and sometimes even while moving about in the aircraft to perform the jump itself.
An impressive array of harness devices have been proposed in the past which incorporate various buckling and connector arrangements intended for quick release or to facilitate convenient adjustment of the harness to the sizes of jumpers having different stature or girth dimensions. Examples of some of these prior devices appear in different U.S. patents. For instance, a quick release parachute harness has been proposed which includes leg straps connected by means of oppositely disposed straps tethered on one end to a waist band, the opposite extremities of which define shoulder straps. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,358 to Wilson. While satisfactory for the quick release feature intended by Wilson, such devices fail to provide for convenient and secure mounting of a parachute canopy container to the harness itself in such a manner as to provide for relatively unrestricted movement of the jumper while, at the same time, providing for comfortable distribution of carrying forces upon deployment of the canopy.
Another example of a quick release harness is a harness incorporating oppositely disposed chest straps which thread at their lower extremities freely through connector rings mounted on the corners of a somewhat triangular shaped crotch support to then bifurcate and fan out into a waist band and leg strap. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,263 to Pravaz. Harnesses of this type have not gained general popularity in the sky diving field due, in part, to the complicated construction thereof and to the fact that they fail to employ a practical and reliable arrangement for mount of the parachute container and a configuration for the harness connector to afford free movement for the jumper.
Examples of rapidly adjustable and quickly releasable harnesses are general use harnesses of the type including a sling-like seat having forwardly projecting straps terminating in free ends having rings carried therefrom for threading therethrough of what might be termed combination chest, waist and shoulder straps. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,744 to Pravaz. While incorporating features which might allow for quick release, such a device is not generally acceptable for skydiving activity since there is no practical arrangement for mounting the parachute container or for comfortable distribution of forces upon canopy deployment.
Other body harnesses have been proposed for suspending victims from a helicopter or the like. One such harness incorporates a main vertical chest strap carrying a ring at the bottom end for connection with snaps employed on the ends of leg straps. A device of this is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,028 to Zakely. Suspension of a skydiving jumper from a chest strap of this type would have no practical application in the everyday practice of the sport.
Thus, there exists a need for equipment which provides the jumper with comfort and maneuverability during pre-jump and jumping activity while loading in a balanced and comfortable manner upon deployment of the canopy.